The Sallie Ogden Show

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Kennison, a financial educator who teaches people how to actually grow their money — not just manage it. But Chris didn't start out in finance. First he was going to be a professional baseball player. Then a teacher. Then a professor. He's tried on more careers than most people consider in a lifetime, and that willingness to keep iterating until something fit is exactly what makes his story worth hearing.

We talk about the actual mechanics of how he knew when to leave each chapter, how he separated this isn't working yet from this isn't the right path — and what eventually pointed him toward finance. Along the way, you'll get some concrete financial wisdom and a handful of one-liners about business that I'm still thinking about.

If you're sitting in a career or a chapter that doesn't quite fit and you're trying to figure out whether to keep going or change direction, this is the conversation to listen to. It's one I know I'll come back to.

This episode originally aired on Hitting Rock Middle, the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show.

Connect with Chris:https://www.wfgconnects.com/chriskennison

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): https://www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletterFree business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan: https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJIWebsite: growwiththebrimm.comInstagram: @the_brimm

In this episode, I sit down with Lizzie Fortunato — designer, founder, and the creative force behind one half of the accessories brand that bears her name. Lizzie grew up in rural Delaware with a talent for making things. That talent followed her from Delaware to Duke, where friends kept asking her to create custom jewelry for them. After graduation she did what most ambitious young women do — she ignored the quiet pull of the work she was actually meant to do and took a job at a PR firm.

She lasted ten months. Then she left, teamed up with her twin sister Kathryn, and built Lizzie Fortunato into a multi-million dollar accessories brand recognized by Vogue, Women's Wear Daily, Harper's Bazaar, and The New York Times.

What I love about this conversation is how honestly Lizzie describes the actual path. We talk about the early decision to leave the safe job, the discipline of staying focused on what their brand is (and isn't), and the smart, deliberate choices she and Kathryn have made along the way. If you've ever wondered whether your "side talent" might actually be the main event, this episode is for you.

This episode originally aired on Hitting Rock Middle, the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show.

Connect with Lizzie:Website: https://www.lizziefortunato.com/Shop the latest collection at Hampden Clothing: https://hampdenclothing.com/accessories

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): https://www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletterFree business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan: https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJIWebsite: growwiththebrimm.comInstagram: @the_brimm

In this episode, I sit down with Bernadette Joy — entrepreneur, author, and the woman behind Crush Your Money Goals. Bernadette didn't set out to become a personal finance voice. She started her career in HR (not where she thought she'd land), went back to get her MBA, and graduated to the realization that she was sitting on a mountain of student loan debt and no clear path forward. That's the rock middle moment.

We talk about her journey from there — how she paid off six figures of debt, how that experience turned into a business and a body of work, and what she's learned about money, identity, and the stories women tell themselves about what they're "supposed" to do. If you've ever graduated from a chapter of your life into a fog instead of a finish line, you'll hear yourself in this one.

This episode originally aired on Hitting Rock Middle, the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show.

Connect with Bernadette:Website and resources for crushing your debt: https://www.bernadettejoy.com/Bernadette's podcast: https://www.bernadettejoy.com/podcast

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): https://www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletterFree business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan: https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJIWebsite: growwiththebrimm.comInstagram: @the_brimm

In this episode, I sit down with Carolyn Manno, a sports journalist who took a wrong turn on her college campus and ended up walking straight into her dream career. Carolyn's whole story is a study in what happens when you lean in instead of leaning out — when intuition calls and you actually answer.

We talk about how she's followed that thread through every step of her career, including how she ended up at NBC Sports calling events like the Summer Olympics and the Kentucky Derby. If you've been ignoring a quiet pull in a particular direction — or talking yourself out of one — this conversation is the gentle nudge to stop overriding the part of you that already knows.

Sometimes getting a little lost is exactly how you find yourself.

This episode originally aired on Hitting Rock Middle, the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show.

Connect with Carolyn:Instagram: @carolynmannoX (formerly Twitter): @carolynmanno

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): https://www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletterFree business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan: https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJIWebsite: growwiththebrimm.comInstagram: @the_brimm

In this episode, I sit down with Lila Stewart, one of the co-founders of Hari Mari flip flops. Lila's growing passion for children began while she and her husband were living in Indonesia. Three years later, they came back to the United States — and that experience became the seed of Hari Mari, a flip flop company with a mission that runs much deeper than footwear.

We talk about her journey from Indonesia to launching the brand, what it actually took to build Hari Mari from scratch, and the challenges along the way — including the rock middle moment that nearly stopped them. If you're building something with both heart and a P&L, you'll recognize a lot of yourself in this conversation.

This episode originally aired on Hitting Rock Middle, the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show.

Connect with Lila and Hari Mari:Shop Hari Mari flip flops: https://www.harimari.com/

Learn about Flops Fighting Cancer: https://www.harimari.com/pages/flops-fighting-cancer

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): https://www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletterFree business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan: https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJIWebsite: growwiththebrimm.comInstagram: @the_brimm

In this episode, I sit down with Cheri and Whitney, co-founders of The Southern Coterie — what they call a "virtual front porch for Southern creatives and entrepreneurs."

On paper, both women already had what most people would call a very successful life before launching the Coterie. They wanted more. Not more in the hustle-culture sense, but more in the this isn't quite the thing I'm here to build sense — and that's the conversation I love.

We talk about what it actually looked like to step outside their comfort zones, the moments they second-guessed the leap, and the practical lessons they've learned about building something from scratch when you already have a lot to lose. If you're sitting on a "more" of your own and don't quite know how to move toward it, this one's for you.

This episode originally aired on Hitting Rock Middle, the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show.

Connect with Cheri and Whitney:Want to attend the next Southern Coterie conference? Join their newsletter to stay in the know: https://thesouthernc.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=91302d96dd687a4e3ce08a5fd&id=3903af978e

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): https://www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletter

Free business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan: https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJI

Website: growwiththebrimm.com

Instagram: @the_brimm

This was the very first episode of Hitting Rock Middle — the show that has since evolved into The Sallie Ogden Show. I'm leaving it here as a marker of where this all started.

The voice is earlier, the framing is different, and at the time I was still calling myself a business coach and going by my old last name. But you can hear the seed of what the show is now: the conversation about getting stuck in the messy middle, and what it actually takes to move through it.

If this is your first time finding me, welcome. The show has grown up a lot since this episode aired, but the core question is still the same one I'm asking: what's actually keeping you stuck, and what will it take to get you to the next level?

About the show:

The Sallie Ogden Show is for the woman who's already built something — and is stuck at the plateau where the old playbook stops working. Tactical when you need a number. Honest when you need a mirror. Hosted by former lawyer turned consultant Sallie Ogden.

Stay connected:Newsletter (Further): www.growwiththebrimm.com/furthernewsletterFree business assessment — The BRIMM Business Scan:  https://thebrimm.typeform.com/to/fuYmBbJIWebsite: growwiththebrimm.comInstagram: @the_brimm